Looper vs. Stephens: It’s On

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UPDATE: In an email from Amy Stephens today, the battle for HD-19 is officially joined:

We recruited good candidates, fought hard, and stayed disciplined and on message. And on November 8, 2010, we won the House Majority by ONE vote! I was elected House Majority Leader by my peers to serve with Speaker Frank McNulty.

In 2010, we beat the Democrats fair and square to win that majority. But since playing fair wasn’t going to work for them, they cheated.

Few can escape the controversy over the Democrats attempt to railroad Colorado voters by redrawing legislative districts in order to overturn the voters’ decision to put Republicans in charge of the Colorado House. Monday, the courts unfortunately approved the Democrats underhanded tactics…

Democrats deliberately changed the rules and created a new gold standard of gerrymandering for the next ten years in Colorado-particularly in El Paso County…that is why the Democrats gerrymandered a new district that put me as the House Majority Leader in the same district as another sitting Republican legislator.

Thankfully, I currently represent more than 75% of this new district and look forward to getting to know the rest of the new district even better. [Pols emphasis]

Even if it is technically Rep. Marsha Looper’s district.

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In the reapportionment-created incumbency conflict between Rep. Marsha Looper of Calhan and House Majority Leader Amy Stephens of Monument, it would seem that there’s no peaceful resolution coming–and the primary conservatives promised Stephens well before reapportionment became an issue is at hand. From Looper’s press release last night:

Rep. Looper stands with citizens in House District 19

Looper welcomes Monument, Woodmoor, Black Forest and Falcon Residents

The Colorado Supreme Court approved on Monday the reapportionment plan that changes the boundaries of House District 19 to include the citizens in Monument, Woodmoor, Black Forest and Falcon.

“Working closely with the citizens of HD19 and El Paso County, we have made significant strides in protecting our water resources, providing vital services and benefits for our military and their family members, limiting the federal government’s power and protecting our businesses and families from intrusive regulatory burdens,” said Representative Marsha Looper, R-Calhan.

Rep. Looper said, “It has been an honor to represent the citizens of House District 19 over the past five years, and in order to continue to build on our successes, I look forward to a vigorous re-election campaign in the upcoming months.” [Pols emphasis]

“I think Marsha’s open door policy and responsiveness to her constituents has enabled her to be one of the most effective legislators in the state House,” said former state Senator Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock. “All of the constituents in House District 19 will value her hard work and attentiveness.”

Here’s one Republican not bemoaning the awful Democrats and their double-dealing maps! Marsha Looper, anyway, is making those proverbial lemons into lemonade. A poll follows: is this curtains for Majority Leader Stephens? And in comments, another subject we’ll be watching to fire up: will the House GOP caucus weep for Stephens if Looper defeats her?

Setting aside Looper, why should Stephens be happy about being undemocratically put in this position? Why should ANY OF THEM?

I applaud Rep. Looper for trying to mak ethe best of a bad situation, but you’re just trying to paper over the obvious issue: Democrat maps doing violence to Republican incumbents. It’s wrong, and even Gov. Hickenlooper can’t excuse it.

No, “violence” is what police forces around the country have been doing to unarmed Occupy protesters. The reapportionment process has nothing to do with violence, unless the Democrats are putting Rep. Looper and Rep. Stephens in a cage and making them fight each other.

I got to meet and talk with Rep. Looper a few years ago when she came down to Lamar to talk with some ag groups about her ideas for reforming guest worker laws. I’m a Dem, but I found her to be a nice, friendly, intelligent, thinking individual. The GOP could use as many more people like her as they can get. I hope she walks away with her primary by a country mile!

Stephens though? I really don’t think she has a core – she would champion anything (or stab anyone) if the advancement was big enough

Predictions – Looper will try to keep it classy but Stephens will get VERY nasty – I personally predict that Stephens will scorch the earth reminding the entire district that Looper supported a Guest Worker Program